Frequently Asked Questions
Chapter 3: Framework of Practice:
Nursing Theories and Conceptual Frameworks

What is a theory?

A theory is a set of concepts and propositions that provides an orderly way to view phenomena.

What are the purposes of nursing theory?

The purposes of nursing theory are to define nursing, describe what nurses do, and provide goals or outcomes of care.

How are concepts and propositions related?

Concepts are mental images of a phenomenon, and propositions describe relationships between concepts.

What is the difference between a conceptual framework and a conceptual model?

A conceptual framework is the structure that links concepts together, representing a unified whole. A conceptual model is a symbolic representation of a theory, shown through diagrams, words, or mathematical notations.

How have non-nursing theories influenced nursing theory?

Nurses have borrowed theory from biological, physical, and behavioral science disciplines and applied them to nursing situations to derive nursing theory. Two examples are Maslow’s Hierarchy of Human Needs and Von Bartlaffny’s general systems theory.

What is the relationship between nursing theories, nursing practice, and nursing research?

Phenomena are identified from nursing practice. Nursing theories describe these phenomena or provide a framework to deal with these questions or problems. Nursing research is used to describe the phenomena or address the questions and problems. The results of nursing research are then applied to nursing practice.

What are the “Ways of Knowing” in nursing?

The ways of knowing are empirical (scientific) knowledge, aesthetic (creative) knowledge, personal knowledge, and ethical knowledge (Carper, 1978). They are used to study nursing problems.

What is the difference between grand theory and middle-range theory?

Grand theory is broader and provides an overall framework for structuring ideas. Middle-range theory addresses more narrowly defined phenomena and can be used to suggest an intervention.

How is the discipline of nursing related to the paradigm of nursing?

A discipline is a recognized field of study, so the discipline of nursing is the body of knowledge in nursing. Theories of a discipline form a paradigm, a particular viewpoint or perspective. The prevailing paradigm of nursing is more holistic or humanistic, emphasizing caring and the person’s unique perspective of health, as opposed to a mechanistic (cause-and-effect) point of view

What are the metaparadigm concepts of nursing?

The metaparadigms of nursing are: Person, health, environment, and nursing. The person can be either an individual or a family.

What is Florence Nightingale’s contribution to nursing theory?

Florence Nightingale is recognized as the first nurse theorist. She described nursing as both an art and a science. She recommended adjusting the environment to improve the person’s health.

Who are the early nursing theorists and what were their contributions?

• Virginia Henderson defined nursing as assisting the individual to gain health or to be allowed a peaceful death. Along with Bertha Harmer, she wrote a fundamentals of nursing text that described 14 human needs addressed by nurses.
• Faye Abdellah expanded Henderson’s 14 human needs into 21 nursing problems.
• Hildegard Peplau, a psychiatric nurse instructor, described the nurse-client relationship.
• Joyce Travelbee focused on the interpersonal relationship between the client and the nurse.
• Paterson and Zderad also emphasized the humanistic and existential bases of nursing.

Who are the contemporary nursing theorists and what were their contributions?

• Myra Levine described four conservation principles for nursing, specifically the conservation of energy, structural integrity, personal integrity, and social stability. She stated that nursing is needed when a person is unable to handle health problems.
• Dorothea Orem developed the Self-Care Deficit Theory of Nursing, in which she purports that people need nursing care when they have a “self-care deficit,” or cannot care for themselves.
• Sister Callista Roy used general systems theory and adaptation theory to produce the Roy Adaptation Model, in which the person is a biopsychosocial being constantly interacting with the environment. Nursing is needed to help the person adapt to stimuli.

Who are the new worldview theorists and what were their contributions?

• Jean Watson developed the theory of Human Caring, describing 10 carative factors, classified as nursing actions or processes.
• Martha Rogers developed the theory of the Science of Unitary Human Beings, in which the person is a unified whole, greater than the sum of the parts.
• Rosemary Parse, whose ideas were influenced by Martha Rogers, emphasizes understanding the person’s lived experience.

What are Gordon’s Functional Health Patterns and how can they be used?

Gordon’s 11 Functional Health Patterns are an example of middle-range theory. They provide a framework for assessment, nursing diagnoses, and a plan of care.